Of Nervous Falling and Understanding of Spontaneous Combustion
by A.J.Kester
Summary: A one-shot where a nervous Marinette finally professes her feelings for Luka.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters or original content for Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

**A.N.: **Hello to anyone new to my stories and welcome! If you are familiar with my work and you're awaiting an update of A Court of Guns and Glass, I'm sorry I'm slow and I promise I'm working on it! I wrote this piece as an exercise originally, but then later decided that I liked it enough to post it. Also if you follow me you might notice that this is my first piece that I've posted where the base content isn't a book, so that's exciting! Anyway review if you like, and enjoy the piece!

**Of Nervous Falling and Understanding of Spontaneous Combustion**

"Why do you spend so much energy on him?"

I turn to look at where Luka has perched himself on the opposite side of my room. He's supposed to be helping me with my math homework, but the afternoon has quickly become me struggling to do my math homework while he sits and plays on his guitar rather distractingly. This is the first time he's said actual words in about an hour.

"What?"

He looks up from his instrument and meets my eyes. "Why do you devote so much energy to Adrian when he clearly won't give you the time of day?"

I let out a breathy, nervous chuckle. "I I don't I don't know what. What. Adrien?"

He holds up a hand to stop me. "It's just that you're so amazing Marinette, you deserve more than what he's offering you."

I can only open and close my mouth like some kind of deranged fish.

Luka smiles and breaks our eye-contact, looking back down at his guitar. "Never mind, I shouldn't have said anything."

Silence fills the room, and we both let it sit. Luka's fingers hover over the strings of his guitar, but he doesn't play. I sit, biting my lip and trying to piece some words together, but failing. So, the silence sits. It sits so long that it begins to become uncomfortable. I shift in my seat to try and relive some of the anxiety building up in the pit of my stomach, but it does nothing. So, I do it again. I stand up and sit back down. I move my left leg, my right leg, nothing works!

Eventually I end up trying to sit cross-legged while in my desk chair. Based on my original goal of easing anxiety, I'd say that this position was the most successful. What was not successful was my ability to hold it. Within seconds of getting both of my legs up and crossed on the chair I lose my balance.

In that moment I shatter the silence that had been holding us, I let out a squeak as I grasp at the edge of my desk, trying to stay upright. It was too late though, and I still end up crashing onto my right side, somehow still mostly in the chair.

Once on the ground I find that I lack the necessary motivation to move. So, I just stay there. I eventually begin to chuckle at myself.

Of course, I did this. Of course, I created a super awkward situation with this amazing guy who I've kind of been crushing on. Of course, I can't just tell Luka how I feel.

I can't just tell him that I do like him. I can't just tell Luka that I've moved on from Adrien. That I did get tired of the way he was treating me, so I decided months ago that I would stop liking him. I can prove it too him to, I'll just show him my diary. Or he can ask Alya, I told her the second the thought even occurred to me! It's just that in the past months I've spent more time with Luka than with Adrien, or really anyone else, and now these feelings that I have for him are becoming stronger than anything I ever felt with Adrien.

So, I just lay there on the ground, half sitting in my desk chair, laughing.

Within seconds of my hitting the ground Luka was next to me though, bending over and looking in my face. I think he's confused my laughing with crying because he's trying to inspect me for injuries.

"Marinette? Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

At this point I've been laughing too long, I am unable to formulate any kind of answer. I try to lift a hand to signify that I'm alright.

"Is it your wrist? Did you fall on it?"

I shake my hand in the same fashion that one might shake their head. I'm now actively trying to calm myself down. I'm taking deep breaths, and it is working my giggles are starting to subside.

"No, no. I'm fi-" I stop talking the second I turn to look at him. He's so close that our noses almost touch. I can feel his breath ghosting over my face, and suddenly I am very aware of my hands.

It's a new sensation that's unlike anything I've ever experienced before. It's not like I've suddenly lost control of my hands and they're doing things that I don't expect them too. No, it's more like I'm hyper aware of the fact that I have hands, and that my hands are things. And then suddenly I can't remember what I normally do with my hands because he's so close. Like do I normally rest them on the ground? On me? On him?

I feel the blush rise to my cheeks. Now I can't look at him.

He puts his hand on my elbow. "Marinette?"

His hand feels like it weighs a million pounds, and I can feel the touch reverberate through my entire body. I try to swallow, but my mouth feels like someone rubbed it down with sandpaper. The only thought that rings through the chaos that is my emotions is that I need for him to either stop touching me or touch me a lot more.

I opt for the former.

I kick the chair away from myself and finally sit up. As I sit, I somehow manage to orient myself even more towards Luka. The only good thing about this is that it allows me to get a good look at him.

He's on his knees and I can tell that he's leaned back since I sat up. His hair has been ruffled and is hanging down into his face. I didn't notice this earlier, but he's taken his jackets off so now he's just in his tee-shirt. Suddenly all I can stare at is his upper left arm. As I stare it just occurs to me that there is no fat there, his arm is all muscle. How did I never notice this before? How did it never occur to me that Luka is really strong, strong enough to lift me over his head? How did it never occur to me that maybe I should be looking for those muscles? I feel my blush deepen and I just move my gaze to the floor. The floor feels like a safe place to look.

That's when Luka takes his other hand and puts it on my face.

Now I know that I've never spontaneously combusted, but I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of what it would feel like.

"Marinette, you feel warm. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I try to pull myself away from him, but he's not having it.

Instead he tilts my face up towards his, forcing me to make eye-contact. "You really don't seem it." And that's when I see it, the worry. It's written all over his face. He's honestly worried about me.

Then it's like I can see the situation through his eyes. He's pushed me on a personal issue that we've only talked about once or twice through months of friendship. The last time we had this conversation was about three months ago, and at that time, I believe I told him that I was still in love with Adrien. Then when answering I stuttered and became unresponsive. Possibly making him think that my feelings hadn't changed. We then sat very uncomfortably for many minutes while I shifted around until I fell over. I then began laughing, which he may have interpreted as crying, which means he could've thought that I was hurt. Then after finally seeming to have stopped crying and in trying to tell him that I'm fine, I am now having some kind of fit. My face has now become red, and I am warm to the touch. I am still stuttering, which is abnormal behavior because I have become genuinely comfortable with having him around me.

I then think about the larger picture of what we're doing today. I invited him over to quote unquote study because my parents are out of town for the weekend and will not be back until tomorrow afternoon. When he asked what he should bring I told him to bring whatever he felt necessary, which seemed to include an overnight bag.

We have known each other for more than 2 years. I am 16, he is 19. Over the past eight months we have become extremely close friends, and over the past six I have slowly allowed myself to fall in love with him. When we spoke about Adrien 3 months ago, I mislead him because I was scared to admit my feelings, as I have always been scared to do.

And at this exact moment he is staring into my eyes so hard I cannot remember my own name.

So, I find all my courage that is hiding within the deepest crevices of myself and pull them up to the surface. I put on my brave face. I take a deep breath.

"I love you."

All the emotion drops out of his face and his hands go limp, dropping down to rest at his sides.

Instantly I start fighting off tears. I tell myself that it's not a big deal, I didn't even really mean it. I nod a little to myself and rise to my feet. I then turn and go about setting my desk chair back in order. As I do this, I put hard distance between the both of us, and I really start struggling not to cry. I can feel the tears burning the backs of my eyes, just waiting for the floodgates to open.

"But you love Adrien." His voice is soft when it comes. And I've now positioned myself so that it hits my back.

"No, I don't. I haven't loved him for a long time."

"But back in November you said."

"I was just trying to cover how I felt. I was too scared to tell you." I move my hands to wipe at my eyes and just leave them over my face.

"Too scared to tell me?"

"Yes!" I whip around to face him again. "You know it takes a lot of courage to say something like that!"

"Marinette." He's whispering, and while I can't see him, I can feel his body heat. Its almost as if he's a roaring fire.

"What?"

His larger hands reach down to take mine and pull them away from my face. I blink in alert at his closeness. If either of us just leaned a hair forward, we'd be touching.

His hands drop mine and he cups my face in his hands. As he does this, he traces my facial features with his thumbs. It's intensely intimate, and I suddenly find myself reaching around to wrap my arms around his waist.

"Do you want to know something?"

I swallow. "Sure."

"I have loved you since the first time I ever laid eyes on you." At those words I can't help the part of me that melts. The part of me that relaxes. The part of me that feels the undeniable security in knowing that the person I love loves me in return. But then something occurs to me, and I squint my eyes at him.

"Are you sure?"

A fantastic grin breaks across his face. He leans down and rests his forehead against mine. "I'm positive."

I only let out a little hum. He chuckles and it's not under his breath, but its breath adjacent. "Marinette."

"Hmmm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Mmhmm."

"Do you think I could kiss you? You know, seeing as we both love each other and all."

"Yes, I think that'd be a fine idea."

"Oh wonderful."

The moment his lips touch mine something sparks in the back of my brain, and it feels like my entire body catches on fire.


End file.
